4.12.2006

the biggest ripoff since amway

ok, i'll concede that jj redick is a pretty good player with a great shot and he'll probably make a pretty decent john paxson/steve kerr type player somewhere in the pros, but the nation's top amateur athlete...over reggie bush or vince young? sorry but the only conceivable way to explain this is racism. i haven't been this mad about something since crash won the best picture oscar.

Look, the last male NCAA basketball star to win the award before JJ was CHARLIE WARD IN 1993. This isn't an award that typically goes to the top player in a media-friendly sport.

Seriously, since 1996 they've awarded one football player (Manning) and four basketball players (Redick and three female players). The rest were Olympians or champions in sports that receive lesser attention.

Sorry, there are several ways to explain this besides racism. One is that this is an award that the big jocks tend to not get... and I honestly don't think they really care.;)

thanks for taking the time to read the blog. however, you misread my comments, which were made with tongue firmly in cheek.

looking at your list, it is clear that these folks don't like regular sports. i was commenting on the idea that somehow jj redick had a better year than either reggie bush or vince young. that's like saying the sky is green. it just doesn't make any sense.

however, it is interesting that only two of the last 11 winners are white. and man, they gave the award last year to freakin' paul hamm! he didn't even really win the effing gold medal that year.

and of course the jocks don't care, but my point is what's the point of creating an award for the top amateur athlete when you almost never ever give it to that athlete?

Good point. However, I think we're the victims of our own biases in this case.

Michelle Kwan (who I had a crush on for like 12 years!!!) has never won an Olympic gold. But she may still be the greatest U.S. figure skater ever. I knew absolutely JACK about Rulon Gardner until he beat Karelin in the most boring amateur wrestling contest you'll ever see.

In most of the other cases you could make an argument as to shy they could have been the best, and I guess that's good enough. We look at this award, and we automatically think it should go to the best male football or basketball player in the country. If we gave a similar award to pros, people would flip if we gave it to an Ultimate Fighter or a professional lacrosse player.

This award at least tries to consider other genders and less-viewed sports, and I don't have a major problem with that.

And because I think I know what you wanted to say, but I'll restate it anyway, two of the last ten winners were black. One Asian-American. Then again, if you're not usually giving the award to football and basketball players...